E-mail, Feeds, 'n' Stuff

Friday, December 13, 2002

In with the ornaments

As my wife shifts the Christmas decoration of our home into high gear, and as we both continue to sneeze and sniffle occasionally with a bug that's been hanging around the house for more than a month now, I'm reminded of a key holiday decoration out of my past. My father's mother, a saint of a New York City Irish gal named Alice, had in her box of decorations a box of Kleenex tissues. Not just good old regular Kleenex, mind you, but a special box that had red and green tissues in it and a Christmas motif on the sides.

The tissues were packed so that they alternated as you drew them out -- first a green one, then a red one. Naturally little hands like ours wanted to effect this fascinating transformation over and over, but that wasn't allowed. In fact, one wasn't allowed to use the special Kleenex for any purpose other than as a decoration. This rule explained the longevity of that single box, which got dusted off and strategically placed on the same end table year after year.

Road Work

Miles run year to date: 80
At this date last year: 89
Total run in 2014: 401
In 2013: 257
In 2012: 129
In 2011: 113
In 2010: 125
In 2009: 67
In 2008: 28
In 2007: 113
In 2006: 100
In 2005: 149
In 2004: 204
In 2003: 269